Phytochemical and pharmacological aspects of Descurainia sophia Webb ex Prantl: modern and traditional applications

Seed of Descurainia sophia  Webb ex Prantl has been traditionally prescribed as treatment for palpitation, varicose vein, varicocele, constipation, hemorrhoid, skin eruptions, and impotence. To outline a view for further approaches, current work compiled a survey on all relevant clinical properties of this medicament in addition to the traditional reports. To do this, databases as PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, IranMedex and Science information databases (SID) were searched by keywords, i.e., “Descurainia sophia”, “Khaksheer”, and “Flixweed” as well as “pharmacology” and “phytochemistry”. According to the findings, scant experimental evaluation and clinical assessment have been performed on this medicament. Of those, only anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic effects as well as antioxidant and anthelmintic activities were assessed and confirmed in experimental studies. Despite broad administration of this herb in folk and traditional medicine, only two human clinical trials in bowel discomfort and pregnant subjects were conducted. Taken as a whole, more comprehensive clinical evaluations should be conducted on respective applications to support those traditional and folk uses.